– As Bloom Public Health, WHO, UNICEF Offer Technical Support
In furtherance of its efforts towards the actualisation of a national vaccine policy, the Food and Drug Services Department of the Federal Ministry of Health has commenced a 5-day workshop aimed at finalising the development of the much anticipated national vaccine policy.
The event which began on Monday, 15 February 2021, at Kini Country Guest Inn in Akwanga, Nasarawa State will end on Friday, 19 February 2021. Experts from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations Education Fund (UNICEF) and Bloom Public Health are on ground to offer technical assistance.
CEO of Bloom Public Health who is also a key person in the project, Professor Chimezie Anyakora, said the policy is aimed at bringing out a clear direction for the country in terms of vaccine use, procurement, selection, manufacturing and research. “This is a very important project in the country. Vaccines are very important in public health. They are the most direct and cost-effective intervention in public health and have created a significant impact on the reduction of diseases globally.
“We need to have medicine security and without vaccine manufacturing in Nigeria, the next pandemic can put over two hundred million Nigerians at great risk. During this pandemic most countries focused on their citizens first and as we can see, Nigeria is not even in the game. With this policy we hope to be better prepared for any future pandemic and also give an opportunity to many Nigerian scientists to put their skills to use for the benefit of their country”, he said.
It would be recalled that Bloom Public Health had recently, in collaboration with the Association of Industrial Pharmacists of Nigeria, unveiled the Pharmacity project in Ebonyi State. The project is famed as the first of its kind in West Africa.
